Is there still a place for Crouch?

[Guest Linton]

I really like the guy and he has some fantastic qualities but with the way we are playing at the moment I wonder if theres a place for him in the team on a regular basis. We play a more attacking brand of football so far this season and pace is one of the main ingredients. To be honest I think Crouch is best when he gets the ball at his feet but he lacks pace and isn't ideal when we break against other teams. Ok, at home where we mostly attacks the opposite teams goal for the whole game theres no problem but when theres a closer game and we need to use counter attacks it just isnt working. As I said I really rate him but he won't get that many games if all the other forwards stay fit. What's your opinion, will he stay or will he move on in the near future?

[Stevie H]

think crouchy's suddenly become very fourth choice.

[hagi_complex]

With potentially 60 games over the season, yes, there's still a place for him in the squad. Whether he wants to stick around or not is a different issue.

[McBain]

I think rotation suits him less than pretty much any other player in the squad.

 

He wont be leaving yet but i can see him growing more and more frustrated if SCS also leaves him out due to his lack of games

[Nebraska Red]

he'll be playing center half if Carra and Hyppia are out.

[Guest Linton]

think crouchy's suddenly become very fourth choice.

 

Exactly. Everyone though that was Voronins place but I think it's a toss up between he and Dirk who will partner Torres now.

[Zoob]

with the players we now have, there are less games where it seems Crouch + another is the best paring. Actually think he can be more useful in Europe, where most teams are scared of his height, and under-estimate how skillful he is (hence scoring 6 or 7 goals in our CL run last season, which is no mean feat.

[M4TTA]

of course there is, we've loads of games and he was out top scorer last season... of course he has a job!

[Guest Finnan3]

Its the 25th of August.

[M4TTA]

Its the 25th of August.

 

and Crouch and Carra are both being sold... these are great forums, but sometimes some people post absolute tripe!

 

oh.. forgot riise is s*** and should never play again!

[San Diego Red]

I feel ad for the lad, he's a very patient man.

[Ben 23]

He's a better player than both Voronin and Kuyt, deserves to be given a chance with Towers at least.

[Guest Linton]

Its the 25th of August.

 

 

I know it's early days, it's just that I think that we have changed our style of play a bit and the games where he could make a big impact is lesser then last season. And to be honest, such a good player shouldn't be 4th choice, he should be playing more.

[stressederic]

He'll start against Derby

[Guest Kaizer]

He's a better player than both Voronin and Kuyt, deserves to be given a chance with Towers at least.

 

How is Crouch better than Voronin?

 

I would really like to get this explanation.

Edited August 25, 2007 by Kaizer

[Tommy Cockles]

He's a better player than both Voronin and Kuyt, deserves to be given a chance with Towers at least.

 

Is right.

[MFletcher]

A combination of Kuyt/Torres/Voronin gives us a lot of options. They all work extremely hard, can come deep, can play off the shoulder, and can finish reasonably well. Kuyt's lack of pace is often highlighted, but he isn't exactly slow. In our two away games this season, we've played a style of football that Crouch would be completely useless with. We've relied on pace, through balls and individual skill to create chances and it has worked very, very well.

 

Pete may be a skilled player, but he isn't going to turn a player. He isn't going to create space for himself on a consistent basis. He is quite slow and relies on quality crosses from out wide. If the delivery isn't right, he isn't going to score. Contrast that with Torres - who has created something out of nothing more times in three games than we did the entire of last season, Voronin - a brilliant goal in Toulouse and an excellent cutback and shot today and Kuyt - who created two excellent chances at Aston Villa as well as causing an own goal. Crouch wouldn't have had the pace or skill to score or assist in any of those games.

 

I really like Crouch. I think his work-rate is excellent and he's a unique talent. He was a good player for us whenever our main tactic was to lump crosses in and go long towards him. But our two wins (and really our stolen win against Chelsea) have seen us look for the pace of our attacking players, and we've moved on from simply lumping the ball towards the big man and hoping.

 

As he's a unique player, and we expect to play a high number of games, he will get his chance. But he has missed out on two of three squads already this season, he was very poor in Toulouse game, got less time than our other strikers pre-season and he'll be aware that SCS won't pick him for the Euros if he spends the majority of the season on the bench.

 

I'd be very pleased if he stays, because his height will worry defenders - mainly in Europe. But I think he's fourth choice now and he might not want to accept that. I hope he stays and fights for his place, but we have to accept that his impact will be limited to certain games.

[Falconhoof]

You've really got to look at how Rafa works. That post by MFletcher there made some good points about how rafa wants us to play. Also, you can't ignore how ruthless Rafa has been at developing his squad. if he thinks he can get a better player next summer then he won't hesitate to sell squad players to accomodate them.

[M4TTA]

A combination of Kuyt/Torres/Voronin gives us a lot of options. They all work extremely hard, can come deep, can play off the shoulder, and can finish reasonably well. Kuyt's lack of pace is often highlighted, but he isn't exactly slow. In our two away games this season, we've played a style of football that Crouch would be completely useless with. We've relied on pace, through balls and individual skill to create chances and it has worked very, very well.

 

Pete may be a skilled player, but he isn't going to turn a player. He isn't going to create space for himself on a consistent basis. He is quite slow and relies on quality crosses from out wide. If the delivery isn't right, he isn't going to score. Contrast that with Torres - who has created something out of nothing more times in three games than we did the entire of last season, Voronin - a brilliant goal in Toulouse and an excellent cutback and shot today and Kuyt - who created two excellent chances at Aston Villa as well as causing an own goal. Crouch wouldn't have had the pace or skill to score or assist in any of those games.

 

I really like Crouch. I think his work-rate is excellent and he's a unique talent. He was a good player for us whenever our main tactic was to lump crosses in and go long towards him. But our two wins (and really our stolen win against Chelsea) have seen us look for the pace of our attacking players, and we've moved on from simply lumping the ball towards the big man and hoping.

 

As he's a unique player, and we expect to play a high number of games, he will get his chance. But he has missed out on two of three squads already this season, he was very poor in Toulouse game, got less time than our other strikers pre-season and he'll be aware that SCS won't pick him for the Euros if he spends the majority of the season on the bench.

 

I'd be very pleased if he stays, because his height will worry defenders - mainly in Europe. But I think he's fourth choice now and he might not want to accept that. I hope he stays and fights for his place, but we have to accept that his impact will be limited to certain games.

 

 

fair comments that to be honest. I still think he has a really good role to play at the club, and like you say, especially in europe.

[Maldini]

It's the same situation as the midfielders, it'll be horses for courses, they'l all get the amount of games that their form dictates they deserve.

[Spike]

think crouchy's suddenly become very fourth choice.

 

but perhaps first choice once defenfces sit a bit deeper and we need a bit of guile around the box, knock downs and that.

[jimmylibel]

It's the same situation as the midfielders, it'll be horses for courses, they'l all get the amount of games that their form dictates they deserve.

 

I think it's because Crouchy hasn't been doing enough chasing lately. Rafa clearly likes frontmen who hassle defenders in opponents and track back when necessary. In his first season Crouchy was excellent at that (he even out ran Momo in one game according to Rafa). However he's allowed that to slip last season and now we seem to have 3 other forwards who don't like giving the opposition defenders a minute on the ball.

[Rimbeux]

I think it's because Crouchy hasn't been doing enough chasing lately. Rafa clearly likes frontmen who hassle defenders in opponents and track back when necessary. In his first season Crouchy was excellent at that (he even out ran Momo in one game according to Rafa). However he's allowed that to slip last season and now we seem to have 3 other forwards who don't like giving the opposition defenders a minute on the ball.

 

 

It's not so much the work-rate in hassling defenders, but also the pace to catch them out and make something of it, you can see the difference with Voroniin and Torres. I think Crouch's main issue is that unlike the competition, Torres, Kuyt, Voronin, Babel, he can't slot into two or more positions so cuts down the managers options in the matchday squad.

[jimmylibel]

It's not so much the work-rate in hassling defenders, but also the pace to catch them out and make something of it, you can see the difference with Voroniin and Torres. I think Crouch's main issue is that unlike the competition, Torres, Kuyt, Voronin, Babel, he can't slot into two or more positions so cuts down the managers options in the matchday squad.

 

I think that's certainly true too, but I do remember Rafa saying repeatedly last season that Crouchy needed to work harded and that he was worrying too much about just scoring.